An item that has been an issue of concern in the church is the order of the sacraments of initiation. But even before considering the order in which these sacraments are to be celebrated, there is the more basic question: which are the sacraments of initiation.
When we return to the earliest existent rituals of the church we find that people were initiated into the faith community with a ritual that included a water-bath, an imposition of hands and the reception of the Eucharist. As the majority of people initiated in the early church were adults, the actual initiation ritual followed a rather lengthy catechesis and familiarization of the Christian way of life, an apprenticeship of sorts. Evidence indicates that the ritual was presided over by the bishop.
As large numbers entered the Christian community and the church grew it was not always possible for the bishop to be present for the ritual. In these situations priests presided over initiation. In the Eastern Church the priest presided over the entire ritual; in the Western Church the imposition of hands and anointing was left for the bishop to celebrate at a later date. This marked the beginning of the separation of the rites of initiation, although the order of the celebration of the rites remained the same.
Over the centuries it is rather difficult to determine a consistent practice in the order in which the rituals were celebrated. However, the more pronounced practice appears to be that, for children, the water bath was celebrated at birth, the imposition of hands and anointing at a later date – often after the age of reason – and the reception of the Eucharist completed the initiation. At the beginning of the 20th century this took place around the age of 15.
St. Pius X, desiring that children receive the Eucharist at an earlier age, declared the age of reason was an appropriate time for children to receive the Eucharist. A direct result of this was that the imposition of hands and anointing became dislocated from the order of the reception of the rituals and was celebrated at a later age. As a consequence the imposition of hands and anointing became a ritual in search of a meaning, a theology.
In the liturgical renewal introduced by the Second Vatican Council it is stated, “The rite of confirmation is to be revised so that the intimate connection of this sacrament with the whole of the Christian initiation may more clearly appear” (S.C. #71). Based on the teaching of the Second Vatican Council and subsequent teaching of the Magisterium, one is led to conclude that confirmation is a sacrament of initiation, that it is to be celebrated after baptism and in preparation for the celebration of the Eucharist.
The Decree on the Church’s Missionary Activity (Ad Gentes), in reference to the catechumenate process of initiation, affirms: “Then, when the sacraments of Christian Initiation have freed them from the power of darkness, having died with Christ, been buried with Him and risen with Him (baptism), they receive the Spirit who makes them adopted sons (confirmation) and celebrate the remembrance of the Lord’s death and resurrection together with the whole People of God” (#14).
It is quite clear from the general teaching that the Official Magisterium of the Church emphasizes the initiatory character of confirmation. What needs to be singled out is the overt reference to the revised rite of confirmation, which shows the intimate connection that this rite has to the whole of Christian initiation.
The Dogmatic Constitution on the Church (Lumen Gentium), in discussing how the priestly community is brought into operation, expresses both the initiatory character of confirmation as well as the complimentary order in which the sacraments are to be received. “Incorporated into the Church through baptism… bound more intimately to the Church by the sacrament of confirmation… (then) taking part in the Eucharistic sacrifice, which is the fount and apex of the whole Christian life, they offer the divine Victim to God” (#11).
In the Apostolic Constitution On the Sacrament Of Confirmation Pope Paul VI refers often to confirmation as a sacrament of initiation. “By means of these sacraments of Christian initiation (baptism, confirmation, Eucharist) they thus receive in increasing measure the treasures of divine life and advance toward the perfection of charity”.
Repeatedly Pope Paul VI speaks of confirmation as a sacrament of initiation and expresses its relationship to the other sacraments of initiation, namely baptism and Eucharist. “In baptism, the newly baptized receive forgiveness of sins, adoption as sons of God, and the character of Christ, by which they are made members of the Church and for the first time become sharers in the priesthood of their Savior. Through the sacrament of confirmation, those who have been born anew in baptism receive the inexpressible Gift, the Holy Spirit himself, by which they are endowed with special strength. Moreover, having received the character of this sacrament, they are bound more intimately to the Church and they are more strictly obliged to spread and defend the faith both by word and deed as true witnesses of Christ. Finally, confirmation is so closely linked with the holy Eucharist that the faithful, after being signed by holy baptism and confirmation, are incorporated fully into the body of Christ by participation in the Eucharist”.
In the study of theology, liturgy is recognized as one of the theological sources. An examination of the Rite of Confirmation reveals a number of things. The Introduction to the Rite affirms: “those who have been baptized continue on the path of Christian initiation through the sacrament of confirmation” (#1). Paragraph three of the same introduction, in speaking of the task of parent, says, “They are to form and gradually increase a spirit of faith in their children and, with the help of catechetical institutions, prepare them for the fruitful reception of the sacraments of confirmation and Eucharist”.
When speaking of the sponsor for confirmation it is affirmed that it is desirable that if this person is present, they be the same as the godparent at baptism, as this “expresses more clearly the relationship between baptism and confirmation” (#5). Paragraph 11 of the same Introduction speaks of the identity, unity and order of the sacraments of initiation.
In this official teaching of the church one can easily single out three very clear affirmations that pertain to the scope of the question being discussed. First, confirmation is never spoken of as a sacrament of “adult” commitment to faith but always as a sacrament of initiation. Secondly, confirmation is always spoken of as a completion of baptism and a preparation for the Eucharist. Thirdly, the Eucharist is always spoken of as the climax, the completion of initiation into the Christian community.
To what has been offered thus far from the vantage point of the official teaching of the church, one can add the teaching found in the Rite of The Christian Initiation for Adults. The whole thrust of the RCIA is that initiation into the community takes place gradually, in stages, and reaches its climax in the celebration of the initiation sacraments. “The sacraments of baptism, confirmation and Eucharist are the final stage in which the elect come forward and, with their sins forgiven, are admitted into the people of God, receive the adoption of sons of God, are led by the Holy Spirit into the promised fullness of time and, in the Eucharistic sacrifice and meal, to the banquet of the kingdom of God” (#198).
In paragraph #208 of the same Rite the connection of the baptism and confirmation is affirmed. The reasons given for this connection are Trinitarian reasons as well as conditions for entry into the paschal mystery. While the direct reference here is to the condition of adults, since the reasons given for the connection are deeply theological, they must also apply to children of catechetical age.
The Catechism of The Catholic Church recaptures, clarifies and summarizes the teaching on the sacraments of Christian initiation. It very clearly affirms that baptism, confirmation and Eucharist are sacraments of initiation (#1211, 1212). Confirmation is spoken of as the completion of baptismal grace (#1285, 1302, 1303, 1304, 1306, 1314, 1316). Likewise it very clearly affirms that the Eucharist completes Christian initiation; baptism and confirmation enable the individual to participate with the whole community in the Lord’s own sacrifice by means of the Eucharist.
The Catechism of the Catholic Church directly addresses the issue of confirmation as the “sacrament of Christian maturity”. Repeatedly it states that confirmation is the gift of the Holy Spirit, the full outpouring of the Holy Spirit and not dependent on the faith-choice of the individual for its efficacy (#1302, 1303, 1316). Likewise, there is a clear distinction made between adult faith and the adult age of natural growth (#1308).
In yet one more magisterial document we find a clear and straightforward teaching on the nature, relationship and order of celebration for the sacraments of initiation. The Post-Synodal Apostolic Exhortation “Church In America” of Pope John Paul II expresses clearly and in summary form the position that is expressed in this presentation:
- “Communion of life in the church comes through the sacraments of Christian initiation: Baptism, Confirmation and the Eucharist. Baptism is ‘the doorway to the spiritual life; it makes us members of Christ and draws us into the body of the church’. In Confirmation, the baptized ‘are joined more completely to the church, they are enriched with special strength by the Holy Spirit and thus are more solemnly obliged to spread and defend the faith in word and deed as true witnesses of Christ’. The journey of Christian initiation comes to completion and reaches its summit in the Eucharist, which fully incorporates the baptized into the Body of Christ … The Eucharist is more than simply the culmination of Christian initiation. While Baptism and Confirmation serve as a beginning and introduction to the life of the church and cannot be repeated, the Eucharist is the living and lasting centre around which the entire community of the church gathers …” (#34 & #35).